Excavation teams working at the site of a former mother-and-baby home in Ireland, have uncovered seven sets of what are believed to be infant remains. The discovery in the town of Tuam marks the latest development in a years-long effort to locate and identify children who died at the institution, which operated from 1925 to 1961.
The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam (ODAIT), which is overseeing the excavation, confirmed the finding in its latest monthly update. The remains were located beside an underground vaulted structure on the western side of the property, an area that is being excavated by hand. Preliminary analysis suggests that the skeletal remains belong to infants, though investigators have not yet determined the time period to which they belong.
Radiocarbon dating and other scientific testing are now underway to establish whether the remains are from the mother-and-baby home era, or from earlier use of the property. The site’s complex history makes this determination critical. Before the Bon Secours Sisters operated St. Mary’s Home for unwed, pregnant women, the grounds served as a workhouse from 1841 to 1918 and later as a military barracks until 1925. Because of this, ODAIT has stated that it cannot yet confirm whether the remains are from the workhouse, military or institutional period.
The agency expects that the analysis process will take at least three months. Alongside the infant remains, the excavation team has also recovered personal artifacts such as a razor and a jar. In another section of the site, archaeologists have uncovered seven additional sets of skeletal remains believed to date from the earlier workhouse period. These finds are being managed in collaboration with the National Museum of Ireland because these are considered historic human remains.
Work at the site of the former home in Tuam began in July as part of a government-directed project to recover and, where possible, identify the children who died at the home. Excavations are progressing in phases across different zones of the property. The memorial garden area, where previous investigations found underground chambers believed to contain numerous juvenile remains, will be excavated later in the process.
The Tuam site became internationally known in 2014, after local historian Catherine Corless uncovered death certificates for 796 infants and young children who had died at St. Mary’s home, also known as the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home — but there were no corresponding burial records. Her findings led to the formation of an official inquiry and a renewed effort to locate the children’s remains. In 2017, government investigators confirmed that “significant quantities of human remains” had been found within structures that had once been part of the home’s sewage system.
The Tuam home was one of many institutions in Ireland established for unmarried mothers and their children, often run by Catholic religious orders. These facilities were intended to provide shelter but were later condemned for the harsh conditions and the stigma imposed on residents. Many children died of malnutrition, disease or neglect, and were buried without individual markers.
In 2021, then-Taoiseach Micheál Martin issued a formal apology on behalf of the Irish State for its role in the mistreatment of women and children in such institutions. The Bon Secours Sisters also released a statement expressing “profound sorrow” and admitting that the order had “failed to protect the inherent dignity” of those in its care.
ODAIT has announced that DNA identification efforts are continuing alongside the excavation. The agency will begin contacting individuals who have expressed interest in providing DNA samples to help identify the children recovered from the site. Anyone who believes they may be related to someone buried at Tuam is being invited to participate.
Sources: People, BBC News, The Irish Times
